Concerns about getting a new virus on the International space station (ISS) has arisen after a senior Russian official present at the missile launch last week, gave a positive test result for coronavirus.
Evgeny Mikrin flew from Moscow to the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan together with the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozina on a Russian government aircraft. Reported by the New York Post.
Russian official at recent rocket launch tests positive for coronavirus https://t.co/5Sps8961xJ pic.twitter.com/nHQGdAJzZ3
— New York Post (@nypost) April 19, 2020
Rogozin was spotted next to two Russian and one American astronauts before launch.
64-year-old micron, Deputy head of the Rocket-space Corporation «Energy», currently has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation.
Evgeny Mikrin Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
The micron was seen sitting next to Rogozina shortly before the astronauts flew into orbit on 9 April.
Rogozin, who had close contact with Micron, was later seen next to the astronauts. At the official farewell Rogozin was standing six feet from them.
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Wagner had not covered their faces.
In the photos from the rocket launch Mikrin not seen near the crew.
Chris Cassidy said before the launch of the «Soyuz MS-16» that the crew was «very strict quarantine» during the month before starting.
«We all feel fantastic», he added.
«We were completely isolated during this last phase of training», — said the commander of the crew Ivanishin.
Still photos taken before launch, shows that the astronauts came to the group of officials. Among them was Rogozin, and he did not adhere to social distancing.
The newspaper «Moskovsky Komsomolets» talks about the Micron:
«He was on the same plane with the head of the state space Corporation Dmitry Rogozin, who later spoke directly with astronauts».
Russia has stated that it has taken extraordinary measures to prevent coronavirus to the space station.
Micron, Deputy chief and chief designer of «Energy», Rogozin was accompanied on his plane during a three-hour flight at his request. Later he passed two test for coronavirus, and both were positive after the launch.
He is among 30 Russian space scientists infected COVID-19.
The case of coronavirus was also confirmed in Star city near Moscow where cosmonauts were preparing to launch.
Micron is in home isolation, but he had no clinical symptoms of the disease, reports the New York Post, citing TASS.
